About

We are a group of behavioral and sensory ecologists studying the ecology and eco-evo of animal communication. We are particularly interested in understanding how eavesdropping enemies shape signal features and signaling displays. We integrate multiple levels of analysis -- mechanisms (neuroethology) and function (behavior and parasitology) -- to investigate eavesdropping enemies and their victims focusing on anurans and frog-biting midges and mosquitoes that spy on the frogs' mating calls. Our research also examines current challenges confronted by frogs due to anthropogenic environmental changes.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Business
• Medicine
• Law
• Engineering
• Virology
• Public relations
• Computer Science
• Biology
• Telecommunications
• Epistemology

Selected publications

• From understory to canopy: transmission of frog calls in a tropical wet forest

  2026-03-16

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  To attract mates, organisms relying on advertisement signals must encode relevant information and transmit it to target receivers, yet the effectiveness of this process is mediated by the environment. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) proposes that habitat properties impose selective forces on acoustic signal design to enhance transmission efficiency. In tropical forests, pronounced vertical heterogeneity in microhabitats creates a variety of conditions for signalers, raising the question of how calling height influences signal transmission efficiency across forest strata. To investigate how vertical microhabitat variation modulates signal transmission, we experimentally broadcast the advertisement calls of 24 species from a Neotropical anuran community from both the understory and the relatively understudied dimension of the forest, the canopy. Across species, calls showed lower transmission performance in the canopy than in the understory, regardless of the species' natural calling height. The transmission performance did not consistently differ among species occupying different vertical strata, nor did it align with the predictions from the AAH. Although our results are inconsistent with AAH, they suggest that habitat properties that vary with height, such as vegetation architecture and background noise, likely modulate signal transmission, increasing excess attenuation, degradation, and reverberation. This study emphasizes that the complex nature of vertical forest microhabitats may affect signal transmission in different forest types and sensory modalities, ultimately modulating the evolution of signal design.

  PublisherDOI

• Beyond human perception: The need for an umwelt revolution in conservation and innovation

  Ceylon Journal of Science · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  No abstract available

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Six new species and records of frog-biting midges (Diptera: Corethrellidae) from Cuba and Colombia

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Frog‐biting midges and mosquitoes: Comparative insights from the Oriental and Sino‐Japanese regions

  Entomological Science · 2026-02-16

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Frog-biting mosquitoes (Culicidae) and midges (Corethrellidae) are old hematophagous lineages that originated over 200 million years ago and provide an ideal opportunity to broaden our understanding of the evolution of host specialization and sensory ecology. While most mosquito research has targeted medically important species, which preferentially feed on mammals and birds, a subset specializes in ectothermic hosts, particularly amphibians. Some of these species locate calling male frogs by exploiting their advertisement calls, a host-seeking strategy that contrasts sharply with the use of chemical, thermal and olfactory cues by endotherm-feeding species. Such interactions can influence frog signaling evolution, alter parasite transmission dynamics and shape ecological networks. Globally, understanding amphibian-feeding Culicomorpha is critical for integrating evolutionary, ecological and conservation perspectives. Yet research is disproportionately concentrated in the Neotropics, where species diversity, host associations and behavioral adaptations have been comparatively well documented. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on frog-biting mosquitoes and midges in the Oriental region and compare these findings with those from Japan, as these regions share a similar amphibian lineage. A particular focus is given to India, a country hosting high anuran biodiversity hotspots, making it an ideal setting to study the ecology and evolution of frog-biting midges and mosquitoes. By providing an overview of the status of our knowledge of these groups in the Oriental region, we identify gaps to stimulate future research. Ultimately, this review offers a foundation for researchers to develop projects focusing on fertile research venues that will advance our understanding of frog-biting mosquitoes and midges.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Data for: From understory to canopy: transmission of frog calls in a tropical wet forest

  Open MIND · 2026-02-10

  datasetSenior author

  <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">To attract mates, organisms relying on advertisement signals must encode relevant information and transmit it to target receivers; yet the effectiveness of this process is fundamentally mediated by the environment. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) proposes that habitat properties impose selective forces on the design of acoustic signals to improve transmission efficiency. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">In tropical forests, the pronounced vertical heterogeneity in microhabitats creates a variety of conditions for signalers, raising the question of how call height influences signal transmission efficiency across forest strata. However, how microhabitat variation within forests, particularly along the vertical axis, modulates signal transmission remains poorly understood. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">We quantified the transmission of acoustic signals using the calls for advertisement of 24 species from a Neotropical Anuran community, broadcasting the calls from an understudied dimension of the forest, the canopy, and the understory. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">Across species, calls showed lower transmission performance in the canopy than in the understory, regardless of the species' natural calling height. Furthermore, transmission performance did not differ consistently among species occupying different vertical strata, nor aligned with AAH predictions. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">Although our results are not consistent with AAH, they suggest that habitat properties that vary with height, such as vegetation architecture and background noise, likely modulate signal transmission, increasing excess attenuation, degradation, and reverberation. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:150%"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times="">Taken together, our findings indicate that the vertical structure of the forest affects signal transmission in unpredictable ways, since microhabitats do not consistently promote convergence in signal structure between species using similar call heights. This study emphasizes that the complex nature of vertical forest microhabitats can affect signal transmission in different types of forests and sensory modalities, ultimately modulating the evolution of signal design.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

  DOI

• A new species of frog-biting midge from Papua New Guinea with a key to the described Corethrellidae of the Australopapuan region (Diptera, Corethrellidae, Corethrella)

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Amphibian Strategies Against Attacks by Flies: Host‐Specificity and Threats

  Ecology and Evolution · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Species interactions are fundamental to ecological and evolutionary processes, shaping ecosystem dynamics and driving biodiversity. Among those, interactions between flies and amphibians are common in tropical areas, yet most aspects of their ecology and evolution are understudied. Using the PRISMA method, we systematically review the literature to examine the direct and indirect threats imposed by Diptera flies attacking amphibians and the behavioral, physiological, and acoustic defenses they elicit. We delve, for instance, into the eavesdropping behavior of some dipteran species, which use anuran calls as cues for host-seeking, and the potential impacts on frog communication systems. As flies can be disease vectors, we investigate pathogen transmission to amphibians as an indirect cost imposed by flies attacking them and examine the role of species specificity in these dynamics. Finally, we address how human activities are currently impacting these long-established interactions between dipterans and amphibians. We focus on potential disruptions caused by habitat alteration, the presence of invasive species, and climate change. By synthesizing existing knowledge of the threats imposed by flies on amphibians, we shed light on these groups of growing conservation concern given their current escalating extinction rates. Ultimately, our findings provide valuable insights into the intricacies of species interactions and underscore the urgent need for comprehensive studies mitigating the adverse effects of anthropogenic disturbances on these clades.

  PublisherDOI

• A new species of frog-biting midge from Papua New Guinea with a key to the described Corethrellidae of the Australopapuan region (Diptera, Corethrellidae, Corethrella)

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17

  datasetOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• A synthesis of the evidence for the acoustic space partitioning hypothesis

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026-04-27

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Acoustic interference is a critical factor driving the evolution of communication systems. In mixed-species aggregations, competition for acoustic space is expected to drive signal differentiation among heterospecifics. The acoustic space partitioning hypothesis proposes that species differentiate their signals to reduce overlap and thereby acoustic interference. Despite ongoing debates in niche theory, studies in animal communication have remained disconnected from these conversations, and no critical evaluation of this hypothesis has been conducted. We performed a systematic review to assess empirical support for acoustic space partitioning and evaluate the conceptual and methodological approaches used to test it. We found that two-thirds of studies conclude that the acoustic space is partitioned, albeit with a strong taxonomic bias toward anurans. However, studies rarely account for key assumptions of the hypothesis, including cosignaling, limited acoustic space, and masking of the signal at the receiver. Without explicit evidence of conditions for acoustic interference, signal differentiation alone is insufficient to infer competition as the main mechanism driving partitioning, since this outcome may also arise from alternative processes. By integrating coexistence theory and sensory ecology, we provide a framework to reconcile signal-structure differentiation with receiver perception, thereby improving our understanding of how communication systems evolve in mixed-species aggregations.

  PublisherDOI

• Variation in sexual signals and defensive strategies elicits receiver-dependent shifts in attractiveness

  Journal of Experimental Biology · 2025-07-25 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Sexual selection often favors the evolution of conspicuous mating displays. Emitting such overt displays carries the risk of interception by eavesdropping enemies, i.e. predators, parasitoids and parasites that exploit communication systems to find and attack their signaling victims. Yet, many signalers respond to variation in perceived eavesdropper risk, protecting themselves through risk-dependent inducible defenses to mitigate potential costs. Given that signalers are embedded in communication networks in which they interact with other signalers, target receivers and multiple eavesdropping enemies, here we investigated how variation in signaling and defensive strategies impacted by an eavesdropping enemy (frog-biting midges; Diptera: Corethrellidae) affects other receivers in a communication network. Ultimately, we aimed to determine whether and to what extent effects that cascade throughout the network shape relative fitness among chorusing males. Using female choice experiments with túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) and predation experiments with eavesdropping, fringe-lipped bats (Trachops cirrhosus), we show that variation in the call elaboration and defensive strategies of competing males shapes their relative fitness. Defensive strategies targeting eavesdropping frog-biting midges indirectly shift a male's relative attractiveness to females and predatory bats, though the mechanisms and impacts are context and receiver specific. These findings showcase how the frequency-dependent effects of micropredation can dynamically shape variation in secondary sexual characteristics and thus influence the mechanisms driving sexual selection.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Sensory Bases and Evolution of Interspecific Eavesdropping

  NSF · $467k · 2014–2019

• Sensory Bases and Evolution of Interspecific Eavesdropping

  NSF · $260k · 2013–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Michael J. Ryan

  The University of Texas at Austin

  38 shared

• Rachel A. Page

  Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

  30 shared

• Henry D. Legett

  20 shared

• A. Stanley Rand

  Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

  19 shared

• Brian C. Leavell

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  13 shared

• Ikkyu Aihara

  University of Tsukuba

  13 shared

• Nigel K. Anderson

  Brown University

  11 shared

• Hoover Pantoja‐Sánchez

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  11 shared

Labs

• Behavioral and Sensory Ecology LabPI

  We are fortunate to work with excellent high school and undergraduate students! Mentoring students is an important component of our lab. Central to our mentoring philosophy is identifying the students' goals to help them grow towards them. By developing a relationship founded on mutual respect, we promote a friendly and engaging environment for students to learn through inquiry.